Over 17 lakh tuberculosis patients were notified last year in the Centre's TB control programme, the annual report on the disease released by the government today said.
Launched on World TB Day, the Annual TB Report 2017 said that over 33,000 drug resistant TB patients were also notified in 2016 additionally in India, which according to various studies as among the three countries that accounted for half of over 4 lakh such cases globally in 2015.
"The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) notified 17.5 lakh TB patients in 2016 including both from public and private health sectors and 33,820 drug resistant TB patients are notified additionally," the TB report said.
It said based on the newer in-country evidences, the government together with WHO revised the National TB estimates upwards. Accordingly, an estimated 28 lakh incident TB patients occurred in a year according to Global TB Report 2016, said the report, which provides an update on services provided through the year under RNTCP and progress and status of initiatives implemented in 2016.
An additional 500 Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) machines were installed through the year, expanding the rapid molecular diagnostic facilities to 628 laboratories, the report said.
In 2015, TB was estimated to have killed 1.8 million people and six countries - India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa - account for 60 per cent of the total number of cases of tuberculosis worldwide.
The report said that a new drug Bedaquiline was introduced for treatment of MDR-TB at six identified sites while single window delivery of HIV-TB services was expanded at all Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres in the country.
The RNTCP identified 100 priority districts for intensified efforts based on the recommendations from the PMO.
The programme is developing its National Strategic Plan for TB elimination in India (2017-25), five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it said.
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